Corona del Mar Today: Complaints sent in about restaurant employees

Restaurants may be noisy, and the patrons leaving may make noise. But a bigger problem for some Corona del Mar residents lately has been the noise created by employees as they leave for the night, according to e-mails and complaints sent to Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Gardner.

Gardner on Thursday asked if the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District board would send a letter to restaurants in the village, telling them to remind workers to be mindful of neighbors as they leave work after evening shifts.

"I get a lot of complaints," Gardner told the board at its monthly meeting. "One thing that would be very simple and that you could very easily take control of is asking employees to be quiet at night. Let's not antagonize the residents. A letter to businesses reminding them would be very helpful."

The complaints have come mostly from residents living in the area between Heliotrope and Begonia avenues, Gardner said. But the B.I.D. board agreed to send the letter to all restaurant owners in Corona del Mar.

Port Restaurant owner and board member Ali Zadeh suggested posting signs reminding patrons and employees that they were in a residential area, but no action was taken on that suggestion.

The letter will be drafted by Scott Palmer, owner of B.I.D. Systems Inc. and sent in the near future.

Corona del Mar High School held ASB elections on Wednesday, and school officials on Friday announced the results online.

The 2011-12 ASB president is Sarah Hostetler, a Harbor View Elementary School alum. The vice president is Ariana Naaseh, secretary is Hanna Gross, and activities commissioners are Hannah Brylski and Jono Keedy.

The senior class president is Annabel Pidgeon; senior class vice president is Olivia Tharp; and senior class secretary/treasurer is Dana DeMiranda. The junior class president is Kylie Mulvaney; junior class vice president is Darcie Marshall; and junior class secretary/treasurer is Hannah Walker.

The sophomore class president is Kris Beyrooty and secretary/treasurer is Kimmia Naaseh. The freshman class president is Nicole Lloyd and freshman class secretary/treasurer is Brooke Beyrooty.

The election occurred after a week of campaigning.

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Complaints Lead to Plans to Move Bench

Moving a bus stop away from the First Republic bank could be out of the hands of Corona del Mar business leaders, but moving the bench at the stop will go forward after a vote Thursday by the board of the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District.

Officials with the First Republic Bank have called police several times after complaints from customers using the ATM near the bus stop in the 2800 block of East Coast Highway.

"Apparently transients and people at the bus stop have harassed people at the bank," said C. Scott Palmer.

In February, B.I.D. members began to research moving the bus stop, which involves working with the Orange County Transit Authority to find a replacement spot.

"Could they eliminate it altogether?" Palmer said Thursday. "That's a tough spot there, Goldenrod between those signals."

"If you could eliminate it, it would ease the traffic jams," said Jim Walker, another B.I.D. board member.

Gardner said she sent an e-mail seeking information from the city's traffic engineer and was waiting for a response about the feasibility of moving the stop, or eliminating it.

Meanwhile, the owner of the Quiet Woman and the Little Woman had requested a bench be placed in front of those restaurants. The B.I.D. board voted to move the bench from in front of the bank to the 3200 block of East Coast Highway.

The bench is owned by the B.I.D., and members said moving it could reduce the appeal of hanging out at that spot.

"It would be less noticeable," Palmer said.

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Coastal Commission Postpones AERIE Hearing

The AERIE condominium project was on the May Coastal Commission agenda until last week, when concerned residents asked for and received a postponement.

Some residents, who have been opposed to plans for the seven-unit luxury condo complex from the beginning, asked for the delay in order to review the new plans. The May meeting also is far for them to travel — in Santa Rosa — and the June meeting in Marina del Rey will be easier for them to attend, they said.

The residents who sought the postponement said that it was too soon for them to comment about the new plans.

The latest application, as described on the Coastal Commission's May agenda, proposes building 51,433 square feet, up from 51,177 square feet in March. The seven-unit complex as now proposed would stand 33 feet tall — up a foot from March. The new plan also reduces the coastal bluff cut from 11,460 cubic yards to 9,810 cubic yards.